Why Is My Internet Slow?
The usual causes of a slow connection, and how to find yours with a quick speed test.
Quick answer: most slowdowns come down to Wi-Fi signal, network congestion at busy times, a device or router that needs a restart, or throttling. A speed test, run both wired and over Wi-Fi, tells you which.
Common causes
- Weak Wi-Fi signal - distance, walls and interference. Test near the router vs where it is slow.
- Network congestion - everyone online at peak evening hours slows shared connections.
- Too many devices - streaming, downloads and updates competing for bandwidth.
- Router needs a restart - the simplest and most common fix.
- Throttling or data cap - some plans slow down after a limit.
- An old router or device - older hardware caps your speed regardless of plan.
How to diagnose it with a speed test
- Test on Wi-Fi where it is slow. Note the numbers.
- Test next to the router. Much faster? It is a Wi-Fi coverage problem.
- Test wired (or near the router). If this matches your plan, your line is fine and Wi-Fi is the bottleneck.
- Test at different times. Slow only in the evening points to congestion.
If a wired test is consistently far below your plan's speed at all hours, the issue is likely your line or provider, worth a support call. Not sure what counts as normal where you live? Compare your result with the average internet speed in your country.
Slow only on your phone? Use the mobile data speed test to compare Wi-Fi and cellular on the same device in the same spot. If cellular is faster, investigate Wi-Fi and your home connection. If cellular is slow with Wi-Fi off, compare locations and times before blaming the router.
Quick fixes to try
Restart the router; move it to a central, open spot; use the 5 GHz band for nearby devices; close heavy apps; and update old equipment. Re-run a speed test after each change so you can see what actually helped.